Today's Train of Thought takes us down to the Sunshine State right outside of Tampa.
Like so many individuals in Florida, CSX GP39-2 #4301 had started out life elsewhere. In this case, the four axle geep was part of an order delivered to the Reading railroad not too long before the formation of Conrail. The 20 units wound up on the Delaware and Hudson after 1976 and made their way into New England when D&H was brought into the Guilford Transportation fold, meandering anywhere from Northern Maine to Potomac Yard just outside of Washington DC.
However, that was not to last and in 1988, Guilford divested themselves of the D&H. The New York, Susquehanna & Western was appointed the designated operator until Canadian Pacific took over in 1991. Since the GP39-2s were something of oddballs as far as CP was concerned, they were sent to the CSX (CSX predecessor Chessie system helped the bankroll the Reading's purchase in the 1970s), so in a sense, the former Reading units were heading 'home'.
One key difference between CSX #4301 and the numerous people who move to Florida after a long and productive career in the Northeast is that the 4301 is still working. Here, she is seen heading down the street running trackage in the middle of East Street and past the former Seaboard Air Line Clearwater, FL depot with 30 stone hoppers on local frieght O701 in June 2003. According to photographer Mike Woodruff, the depot has since been razed.
To this day, a number of the former D&H/Reading GP39-2s have wound up in service for CSX in the Tampa area.
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